Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Landers, Frary and Clark 1918-Mid-20th c.
• Morin Furniture 1950
• National Spring Bed Co. ca. 1898-1918

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

60 (1892).

Historic Narrative

The origins of the National Spring Bed Company date back to 1872 and the establishment of the National Wire Mattress Company. The latter firm was led by William I. Fielding, president; Joseph A. Davis, secretary; and Darius Miller, treasurer, and boasted $30,000 in capital. The company’s product line included wire mattress springs, metal mattress frames, and brass and iron bedsteads. The bedsteads could be purchased in a brass or enamel finish, with the enamel color options consisting of pink, light blue, brown, or white. One of the company’s most important products, the “national mattress”, was notable for its resistance to sagging due to its interlocking metal frame. This was an invention of Fielding’s own design and was the first successful product of this type brought to market in the United States. In an 1892 article, the Hartford Courant wrote of the national mattress, “It is one of the best wire mattresses in the market and is of great durability.” The National Wire Mattress Company’s manufacturing plant was located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Washington and Lake Streets (the latter redesigned at part of Columbus Boulevard). It was run by a workforce of 60 hands, with additional employees staffing the company’s retail showroom at 389 Main Street. Despite its successes during the 1880s and early 1890s, the National Wire Mattress Company failed in 1897. The firm and factory, however, were resurrected as the National Spring Bed Company in 1898. The National Spring Bed Company was incorporated by A.J. Sloper, John B. Minor, John H. Kirkham, Edward N. Stanley, and Frank Porter. The firm was backed with $150,000 in capital and soon went about marketing its primary product, the “Rip Van Winkle” mattress, which proved tremendously popular. Shortly after reorganizing the company the investors went about erecting a new plant directly west of the National Spring Bed Company factory. The three-story block currently fronting on Columbus Boulevard was completed around 1900, at which time the original plant was relegated for storage (it was demolished by the 1930s). By 1909, an additional four-story block had been constructed to the west of the ca. 1898 building. The National Spring Bed Company operated successfully through the 1910s, however, business was brought to a halt during the First World War. The company was not deemed “essential” to war production efforts and was thus not provided with steel and coal rations during the conflict. As a result, the Hartford Courant noted that, “Without coal and steel, there was nothing for the concern to do but make arrangements to go out of business.” Such arrangements were completed by August 1918, when the company agreed to sell its stock holdings to the hardware manufacturer Landers, Frary and Clark. The plant was initially used to supplement the latter company’s war production, and was later operated as a branch plant. By 1950, the factory had been acquired by the Morin Furniture Company and was utilized as a furniture warehouse. A variety of manufacturing and other tenants have since followed, among these being the Superior Ball Bearing Company, Polar Corporation, Lemco Manufacturing, B and N Tool Company, C and M Manufacturing, and others.

Number of Existing Buildings

Eight (8) adjoining blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1898, ca. 1905, 1910, ca. 1909-1934.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former National Spring Bed Company plant is comprised of eight adjoining flat- and gable-roofed blocks located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Columbus Boulevard and High Street. The earliest block was erected ca. 1898 and stands at the northwest corner of the factory complex. The four-story building is of red brick pier construction and measures 106’ x 44’, not including a four-story, 18’ x 18’ red brick stair tower is located on its south elevation. A stone watertable delineates the building’s first floor from the its upper levels, from which three-story window bays rise to a corbelled brick cornice interrupted by the piers repeating along the length and width of the block. The building’s segmental-arched window openings have been infilled with brick on the first floor, while the upper-floor sash have been replaced with modern units. The block’s west elevation rises to a stepped brick parapet with recessed brick panels and tile coping. A five-story, 85’ x 44’ red brick pier manufacturing building was erected abutting the eastern elevation of the aforementioned block between 1901 and 1909. This is nearly identical in detail to its neighbor, yet also has a second, uninterrupted corbelled brick cornice extending along its roofline. An identical block was erected to the south of the latter building in 1910, this being four stories in height and measuring 45’ x 100’. The 1910 block is connected to the northern manufacturing blocks by several one- and two-story accessory blocks, these formerly housing storage and shipping uses. Additional buildings associated with the plant include a one-story, 44’ x 37’ red brick boiler house with clerestory monitor and 90’ red brick chimney located on the east side of the 1910 block, and a one-story, 160’ x 50’ steel-frame warehouse abutting the south elevation of the 1910 block. Both the boiler plant and warehouse were built at some point between 1909 and 1934.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The factory is in fair condition. The majority of the exterior walls are in fair condition, however, there is some staining and deterioration visible, particularly on the north side of the building. The majority of the window openings on the ground level have been infilled with brick and the windows throughout the complex have been replaced with modern units.

Specific Location

One 1.14-acre parcel (27 Columbus Boulevard) at the southeast corner of the intersection of Columbus Boulevard and High Street.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• C7C/ 29 / Link →

Acreage

1.14

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Industrial
• Other: Jan 2022 DECD Brownfield award: $1,355,000 for environmental clean-up, abatement, and partial demolition of the former manufacturing and industrial property at 27 Columbus Boulevard and 43 High Street, popularly known as the Polar Building. A mixed-income residential development with 62 rental units will be constructed on the 1.5-acre site.

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

02/12/2015

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Map of Hartford County, H & C.T. Smith, 1855.
4. Atlas of Hartford County, Beers, Baker & Tilden, 1869.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1890, 1895, 1909, 1950, 1954.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Birdseye View of New Britain, 1875.
10. New Britain City Directory, 1860-1960.
11. Hartford Courant, 1892, 1910, 1918, 1984.
12. History of New Britain, With Sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Camp, David, N., 1889.
13. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).